Perhaps aside from the national election results, it has been a tough month for Prius lovers in the U.S. First, Toyota announced yesterday that 670,000 2004-2009 Prius models are among the roughly 2.8
million vehicles that it is recalling worldwide, as Christopher Jensen reports in the New York Times' "Wheels (The Nuts and Bolts of Whatever Moves You)" blog. Then the Los Angeles Times' David
Undercoffler tells us this morning that the new Ford C-Max delivers "an eco-beat down to the Toyota Prius v" with "a drivetrain that's both faster and greener." ...Read the whole story

For its inaugural television advertising campaign, the Alviso, Calif. company has enlisted professional quarterback Tim Tebow as a spokesman. The advertising will be part of an integrated effort that will include print, radio and television advertising, as well as social media. ...Read the whole story

"A big issue is that we all tend to feel overwhelmed when we step into a store or see a Web site. There's just an avalanche of stuff out there, and there's more every day," Caroline Winnett, CMO of Nielsen NeuroFocus, tells "Marketing Daily." ...Read the whole story

On Sixth Avenue between 41st and 42nd streets, the show, "The Future Is Closer Than You Think," is open to the public from 6 to 10 p.m. each night and all day Sunday. It will host a roster of talks and displays on significant mobility challenges facing America's largest cities. ...Read the whole story

Martini Sparkling Wine's new international campaign focuses on those who always find -- or create -- a reason to celebrate. The spots are edited to 15-second and 30-second formats, and the first one launched on YouTube on Nov. 14. ...Read the whole story

Each rolls up in one of three Acuras (MDX, TL and ILX) just in time to stop shoppers from buying things like a giant Christmas tree and an animatronic Santa. They do in-vehicle counseling during a high-speed ride, suggesting the consumers opt for the smarter purchase, an Acura. ...Read the whole story

These CEOs indicated that they perceive marketers as: not being able to adequately prove the positive business impacts of their marketing activities; having "lost sight" of their core purpose of generating customer demand for products/services; and not being focused enough. ...Read the whole story

Gift card spending is expected to reach $28.8 billion this year. The National Retail Federation reports that 81.1% of those in the survey plan to purchase at least one gift card, with an average spending of $156.86 on gift cards, the highest amount in the survey's 10-year history. The survey, conducted by BIGinsight, also finds that roughly 60% of people would like to receive a gift card, too. ...Read the whole story

In the last few years, video content has become essential for any consumer marketing campaign, and the results are hard to ignore. How can CPG firms use video to better connect with shoppers, and how should ...More

Marketers should combine the attributes of centralized and distributed architectures to achieve optimal performance and ease of maintenance. The key to success is putting the customer's experience first, and presumptions about how things should be done ...More